The Hero of Pokémon
by GamerTacticsInc
Summary: In he Kanto Region, many strong Pokémon trainers emerge and prove their strength, but none of them are strong enough to face an approaching threat. So, they will receive foreign help from a true hero; Link.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome all to my new story. The story build itself has been in the works for almost a full year now, full of rough drafts and character developments. Of course, it's fanfiction, so they're aren't very many OCs to develop, but what few there are, I felt should have some kind of personality, rather than just being a generic, always agreeing character. I decided to write this fic because I have **_**always**_** loved both Pokémon and the Legend of Zelda, and felt that I had finally found a semi-decent way to combine them. I've read quite a few Pokémon-Legend of Zelda crossovers, but I always thought I could make one too, maybe one better than the rest. Today is May 2****nd****, 2014, and I have just began chapter one of this book. Yes, like my other fics, I plan at least 20 chapters for it, maybe longer, as I hope to find a way to combine the Game and Anime Pokémon universes. I've been told that they're two separate things, but I may be completely wrong. I'm using my tablet to type this don on Microsoft Word, so I apologize if not all of the characters that I type here aren't the characters that my fans see. Heh, I figured I should get all the apologies out of the way, as I have no- and I mean **_**NO**_** excuse for them. I want to apologize for this long hiatus between these stories, and there will be long pauses between chapters for this story as well. But, I hope to make up for said pauses with longer chapters. I also apologize for the problems with cannon in this story, as I do not intend to strictly follow it. This story will take place while Ash is in the Kanto region, but Red will also be mentioned. Now, I hope someone can explain the Game-Anime Pokémon universe thing to me, but for now, I have no way to know for sure what is going on with that business. I know that in the games, Team Rocket was disbanded, but in the Anime, they're still around, nabbing Pokémon for some unknown (as far as I can tell) reason. Also, another non-cannon appearance will be the newest Eeveelution, Sylveon. I think that **_**all**_** of the Eeveelutions exist, just haven't been discovered in certain games/points in the Anime. Finally, I would like to thank all of my readers for putting up with my crap and remaining loyal to my stories. So, without further ado, I present: **_**The Hero of Pokémon.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, or their affiliated characters. I'm just putting them together for the amusement of my reader, and both series belong to Nintendo.**

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Chapter 1:

Kanto Region's New Hero

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Pallet Town!

The town where so many great names come from, a place where Champions are born. A peaceful, quiet city that draws visitors from all over the Kanto Region. Of course, Pallet wasn't the biggest town, or the most populated. Nor was it filled with tourist attractions, but draws its visitations from its beauty and tranquility. The town had an odd 30-some citizens, each one unique in their own ways, but each alike in at least one. They all shared a love for the Pokémon that they lived with, working together as a single unit every day.

In fact, the whole town surrounded Pokémon. People used Tauros to plow fields, or Miltank to harvest milk from. Everyone knew how to handle Pokémon and, unsurprisingly, everyone had at least one Poké-Partner to keep them company.

The town was also home to the greatest mind in the Kanto region, the esteemed Pokémon Professor Oak. Professor Oak was to on to create the Pokédex, the only known tool that can identify all kinds of Pokémon. The esteemed Professor also on his own Pokémon Ranch, where he and his assistants raise the Pokémon that Oak's "field trainers" send in.

"Field Trainer" was a term used for Oak's helpers that go out into the world, catching Pokémon and sending them to Oak to be studied in detail. Oak currently had around seven or eight field trainers, but almost all of them were recent additions to the Pokémon Professor's scientific team. The other two had been sent out into the world almost a full year ago, their mission to help Professor Oak study Pokémon.

Of course, not every day was prosperous with field trainer, and sometimes yielded a large amassment of the same Pokémon, which would then form herds. The most common Pokémon to slip into a group were Tauros, a two-tailed bull Pokémon. Tauros, however, grew very bold in herds, and tended to be easily sent into frenzies. On a normal day, a frenzy would be handled by the Professor's assistants, but today wasn't a normal day. The town was preparing to see off its newest set of trainers, who would receive a Pokémon of their own from Professor Oak and be sent into the world to make their own path.

The whole town was arranged at the town's entrance to Route 1, three figures standing ahead of the rest, smiling and waving to the small mob of people cheering them on. Two boys and a girl, all of them within fifteen years of age, all carrying bags packed by their families. They all wore light clothing and friendly smiles, their eyes full of determination, pride, courage, and even some anxiety.

Suddenly, the ground shook and the crowd quieted down. Heads moved from side to side, multiple sets of eyes scanning for the interruption. One man began yelling and pointing, causing everyone to follow his finger to the rapidly approaching herd of Tauros. There were at least twenty of the Pokémon in all, each one in a heated rage.

The crowd broke into chaos, parents grabbing their children and running to the cover of their houses. Within moments, the crowd had dispersed to only three; the new trainers. Each trainer reached for their respective Poké Ball and tossed it. All three balls burst open, releasing a glowing white stream of energy.

The glowing streams of energy began to take shape before dispersing to reveal three young Pokémon. The three Pokémon readied themselves for whatever danger that caused their trainers to call them out of their Poké Balls. Upon viewing the stampeding herd, however, the Pokémon faltered. Each one stared at the approaching stampede in horror, but stood firm to protect their trainers.

Each trainer called out to their Pokémon, breaking the little creatures of their trance and encouraging them to move forward to face the threat head-on. Each readied an attack, charging forward and releasing it. The stampeding Tauros were hit by vines, burned, and pelted by speeding bubbles, but this did little to slow them down. The front most Tauros in the group lowered their heads, knocking the small Pokémon into the air.

The trainers panicked as they watched their partners fly high into the air. They quickly returned their friends to their Poké Balls and frantically looked for another way to stop the incoming Pokémon hoard. Finding nothing, they looked back to the hoard and took in involuntary step backwards. The herd of Tauros was almost upon them and they were sitting ducks.

Suddenly, a green blur rushed forth and dashed into the horde of Pokémon. A set of angered roars erupted from the herd of Tauros, then the Pokémon began to slow. After a few more feet, the last Tauros fell to the ground.

Standing in front of the defeated horde, was a small boy, around the age of fourteen that was sheathing a sword. The boy let go of the sheath that sat upon his back and turned to the children. He smiled lightly and nodded to the Tauros.

Realizing what had happened, the three trainers shot up to tend to the Tauros' injuries. They were shocked as they searched each individual Pokémon, but found no wounds, only minor bumps and a few seared hairs.

The trainers turned to say something to the boy who had just saved them, but found nothing where he once stood. The searched for a few moments, but found nothing; he had disappeared without a trace.

Slowly, people filtered out of their houses ad began congratulating the trainers for their success. The trainers, however, just brushed the crowed moments off with dazed replies. The ceremony finished and the trainers went on their way, the memory of the strange boy in green still fresh in their minds.

Close to nightfall, the trainers stopped to make camp. They moved off into the forest, where people on the road wouldn't notice them, but close enough to the road that wild Pokémon wouldn't come out of the woods and attack them.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before one of the trainers spoke.

"So, did anyone get a good look at him?" she said.

The two boys looked at her for a few moments, then broke off into their own thoughts, attempting to remember any key features that could be used to describe the boy.

"Well," one of them started, "he wore green- a lot of green."

"Yeah!" the other boy piped up, "Almost his whole outfit was green. I think he even had a green hat!"

The girl was the next to say something, "Did anyone else notice his ears?"

Both boys looked at her in confusion, so she continued.

"They were long and pointed, like an elf's."

The smaller of the two boys continued, "I … think I remember. But the first thing I noticed was that his shirt was, like, really long. I mean, it was almost long enough to reach his knees."

The other boy raised an eyebrow at his friend, "That's a weird thing to notice."

The younger of the two turned a glare to the older, who just shrugged it off and laid on his back.

The silence continued for a long while, each of the trainers lost in their own thoughts. The rest of the night remained silent, as each child retired to their tents, having fed themselves and their Pokémon. Each trainer's thoughts remained on the strange boy in green, and his identity.

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**A/N: Well, that's the chapter. I really enjoyed writing chapter 1, so expect this to be a big focus of mine for a while. In fact, I plan to upload this and then begin on chapter two. Also, the story will begin following Link in the next couple chapters, but I felt he should be introduced in a mysterious way. I also realized I haven't mentioned the names of the three trainers that the story is currently following, and I may not, as they will most likely not reappear in the story. Finally, the chapters will get longer, but I felt like the place I chose to stop fit. Anyway, rate the story and review. Feel free to give some constructive criticism, but hate will **_**not**_** be accepted. If you decide to post a review of nothing but hate, it will be removed. Anyhow, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Expect more soon.**

**-GamerTacticsInc.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, guys. Today is May 5****th****, 2014, and I have just began writing chapter 2. Anyway, I expect this chapter to be done by May 7****th****, 2014. So, just a few things to clear up. As far as I know, shiny Pokémon are canon to the anime, and even though this will only be a minor change, it will still be a change nonetheless. Also, I know I said last chapter that I wouldn't reveal the trainers' names, but I decided that if I was going to put them in the story, I might as well give them names too. They may end up playing a larger part in the story, but nothing is concrete. The only thing left to say is rate and review.**

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Morning came upon them swiftly, and soon the three trainers were on their way. It had been about five hours before they reached Viridian City. Eventually, they had split up to see different parts of the large city. Sophie, the only female in there group, wanted to go the Pokémon Center to rent a room for the night. Joshua, the youngest of the three, wanted to go to the Pokémon Academy to brush up on the basics of Pokémon match-ups. Brent, the oldest of the three, made a bold beeline to the Pokémon Gym.

Sophie, after renting their room for the night, had decided to walk around Viridian City. There was an abundance of different stores; ranging from "Ma &amp; Pa" stores to name-brand designer shops. She was eventually drawn into a music store, having been enticed by the picture of a Pikachu holding a Poké Flute.

Upon entrance, she was bombarded by multiple sounds. Some of them were rhythmic and melodic, while others were random and shrill. It soothed her and made her cringe at the same time.

She moved through the store aimlessly for a while before a soft, melodic sound caught her attention. She moved toward the source, letting her ears guide her. The tempo picked up and she began moving faster, captivated by the sounds. Finally, she rounded the corner to see a group of people forming a small, loose ring around, what Sophie expected to be, the source of the music.

The music died down to an eventual stop and the people began clapping softly, impressed by the display, but it seemed it was still too early to erupt into cheers. Actually, Sophie doubted that enough people cared to trigger that kind of reaction anyway.

Soon, the crowd dispersed and Sophie moved closer to catch a glimpse of what was making the beautiful music. She passed through the crowd and searched for a moment before her eyes caught a young boy, clothed in a long, forest green shirt. He wore long, brown boots that covered most of what the shirt didn't. The shirt itself had no sleeves and had a deep "V" neck. Protruding from the long shirt were the sleeves from another, lighter green shirt. Almost his whole outfit was green, excluding his boots and his white leggings, but to make up for that he had a long, green hat that hung to his shoulders.

She noticed that he no longer had his sword, only a brown leather belt strapped around his torso. It had probably been confiscated by the Viridian Police Department; Officer Jenny was not a very relaxed person and often jumped on any oddity coming in or out of town. There was a story that she had detained a trainer for coming in with an injured Pikachu that was out of its Poké Ball.

Slowly, she approached him. He was talking to the store clerk about purchasing something. In his hand was a light blue, potato shaped object that seemed like an instrument. An educated guess, considering they were in a music store.

After they had finished speaking, the boy pulled a few slips of paper, which Sophie recognized as money, and handed them to the man. The man smiled and waved him off, looking to the line that was forming behind the boy. He shrugged and turned around, walking to the end of the counter, tucking the money under a stack of pamphlets, and walked off, Sophie on his heels.

He led her out of the store and onto the street, where the dwindling morning routine crowd had given away to a frenzy of chaotic activity. The boy moved through the crowd with ease, fading into the horde.

Sophie scanned the crowd for the boy's bright blonde hair. She moved clumsily through the mob, stumbling and pushing people aside. Her Poké Ball shook at her side, being jarred repetitively by someone moving from one place to another.

Finally, Sophie found what she was looking for. The boy was making his way down Viridian City's main street. There, he could fade into an even larger crowd. If he got into that crowd, Sophie would never find him. He could be right under her nose on that street and she still wouldn't notice him amongst the chaos.

She increased her pace to a fast walk, then to a slow jog, slowly gaining on the boy. He hadn't seemed to have noticed her approaching, fully focused on blending with the crowd. This gave Sophie the perfect chance to catch up to him and grasp his wrist.

The boy stopped, seemingly excepting defeat, and turned to her with a somewhat irritated look. He tilted his head, wordlessly expressing his confusion. Sophie smiled cheekily, dragging the boy out of the crowd and under an awning of a random café. He followed wordlessly, scowling the whole way. He seemed willing to cooperate, but he may not like it.

Sophie sat him down in one of the chairs that had been set up for customers to be served outdoors and pulled out her phone. She quickly swiped through her short contacts list before selecting Joshua's name. The phone rang once … twice … thrice … then a click sounded.

"Hello." Came a somewhat muffled voice from the other side of the line.

"Joshua!" Sophie all but yelled, "Get down here, I found someone you'll both want to meet."

The phone remained silent for a second before Joshua's voice sounded once more, "Where are you?"

Tilting her phone down for a moment, Sophie surveyed the name of the café which she had pulled the boy next to in order to escape the crowd.

"The _Caf__é Supérieur_, just off Main Street."

Once more, there was a short pause, "Okay, I'll get Brent and meet you down there."

"Hurry!" Sophie exclaimed before hanging up and taking a seat by in front of the young boy.

She smiled brightly and he returned it with a frown, making her giggle lightly. The boy sat there unhappily, offering no attempts at conversation but making no attempts to walk away, not that Sophie would let him get away anyway.

They sat in silence, the boy giving an irritated frown and Sophie offering a bright, overly cheery smile. The minutes seemed like hours as the ticked by and there was still no sign of Joshua or Brent, leaving the two alone in silence with tension so thick it could slow a Spearow down. Eventually, Sophie began to feel uncomfortable, but kept her smile up anyway.

The boy had an odd air about him. He was intimidating, but gentle. He seemed forthcoming, but shy. Bold, but withdrawn. It was a very odd feeling, being on edge and at ease at the same time.

It was almost a full hour before Joshua and Brent rounded the corner. Brent was sporting a rather disappointed face while Joshua seemed, without a better word for it, bored. Sophie quickly waved them over, jumping at the chance to end the odd meeting. The two walked over, having noticed Sophie, and sat down. They both glanced at Sophie, silently questioning her as to why they had been dragged away from whatever they had been doing. When she said nothing, opting instead to laugh and rub the back of her neck, they spoke up.

"Okay, Sophie, why did you call us down here?" Brent asked.

"Yeah," Joshua said, "and is this the guy you wanted us to meet? Who is he?"

Sophie smiled brightly and declared that the boy before them was the one who stopped the Tauros stampede. Joshua and Brent eyed the boy in critical disbelief. The boy sat there quietly through the uncomfortably silent interrogation, eyes glued to the table.

"So, Boy, what's your name?"

He looked up to turn a glare on Brent, apparently not enjoying his use of "Boy" as a name. Brent quickly returned it, being the hotheaded boy that he was. Sophie, seeing the boys' heated stares directed towards one-another, cleared her throat and laughed in a nervous manner. She glanced between the two at Joshua, silently asking for some sort of help. Joshua, in a rare show of mischief, gave her a wry smile and leaned back in his chair.

"What my friend meant to say," She said as she glared at Brent, "was 'Thank you.'"

She contemplated what to say next for a moment, then turned back to the boy, "I'm sorry that I plucked you off of the street, I just felt that I needed to thank you."

The boy smiled for a moment, but was gone just as fast as it came. He closed his eyes, seeming to contemplate what to say next, before looking back to Sophie. He smiled once more and nodded in silent acceptance of the apology. The three fell back into silence, this one more awkward than the last one, and with less tension.

"Link."

Everyone blinked in slight surprise at the low, whispery voice. They looked at the boy in green who was smiling from across the table.

"W- What?" Sophie stuttered with the utmost intelligence.

"My name is Link." The boy, Link, said. His voice was slightly rough, probably from not being used, but incredibly soft. Sophie couldn't help but enjoy the tone of his voice; it was soft, just like his music.

"Well, Link," Sophie, as bubbly as always, "I'm Sophie. That's Joshua, and that's Brent." She said, holding her hand to indicate which boy she was speaking of.

Link let his smile grow wider and was about to respond when Sophie squeaked in surprise.

"Oh! Look what time it is! We need to hurry back to the Pokémon Center, else we'll miss curfew!"

The others expressed their agreement and stood. Sophie looked to Link, smiling slightly.

"Hey," She said, "We're all going to stay at the Pokémon Center. We're leaving tomorrow, so why not stick with us for a while?"

Link sat there momentarily before nodding his approval, thanking her, turning on his heel, and walking into the dwindling crowd. Sophie watched his vanishing figure for a few moments before Brent and Joshua called out to her. She turned and began following the two boys, sparing one last glance at the crowd.

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**A/N: Well, this chapter is done. It took a long while, much longer than I anticipated, but it's done now. This chapter was finished three days behind schedule, the planned time being May 7****th****, but the real time ending up at May 10****th****. Anyway, thanks for reading. Remember, review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Today is May 10****th****, I hope to finish this one by May 20****th****. Yes, I'm setting a pretty long time limit. Most dedicated writers could do it in half the time, but I'm a lazy slacker. Oh, and before I forget; this chapter will be told, like the others, from a third person limited point of view. Last two chapters, the narrator, me, could see Sophie's thoughts and feeling. Sophie is no longer being "followed," as Link's thoughts will now be read on the screen. This, I know, is very abnormal, but I needed some way to introduce Link, and have already thought up Link's full personality. I have been ready since chapter one to get into Link's head, and now I am. Anyway, enjoy!**

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The three trainers were all gathered outside of Viridian City, near the entrance of Route 2. They had been sitting there for almost an hour now, on Sophie's command, of course. She had insisted that they wait for just a little while, though Joshua nor Brent new why, but they both had a good idea.

"So, Sophie, when's your friend getting here?" Brent asked.

"Soon." Was her only reply.

"That's what you said last time, and that was twenty minutes ago." He said, growing gradually more irritated.

"He's coming." She said.

"When?" Brent growled, "For all you know, he could have ditched town already, I mean, he didn't seem to have many frien-"

"There he is!" Sophie said, interrupting Brent's rant.

She pointed the slowly growing figure in the distance. Sure enough, Link had come, jut not necessarily on time. He was walking at a decent pace, but still painfully slow, and Brent once more tried convincing the group that the boy could catch up, though nobody really paid any attention to what he was saying.

Link's outfit was not unlike yesterdays, a long green outfit with a lighter green undershirt with a long collar, white leggings, dark brown boots, and a long, cone shaped hat. However, now he had a small amount of bags hanging from the belt around his waist, and his sword was now strapped on his back, making use of the belt that Sophie had seen yesterday.

"Sorry I'm late," He said as he finally reached earshot, "Officer Jenny gave me a firm talking to about weapon safety."

He gave a quiet laugh before reaching the rest of the group. Once there, he tightened his baldric and kicked the dirt off of his boots; a seemingly purposeless action considering that the road would soon give away to a dirt trail. He grinned lightly as he straightened his back and turned to the group and nodded towards the road, silently indicating that he was ready to go.

Joshua nodded back and Sophie gave a bright smile before all but skipping ahead. Brent gave an irritated groan of "Finally" before standing and following his friends. Link simply trailed quietly behind them.

Eventually, silence became light conversation, none of which Link partook in. No one seemed to notice his silence, which he enjoyed, he never like small talk with almost complete strangers. Besides, he really didn't feel like talking with any of them. Only the girl, Sophie, would have a normal conversation with him. Brent would just get upset over something, and Joshua never really talked.

These people were rather kind, at least, Link thought so. Brent, though hotheaded, seemed to not be _too_ opinionated, and seemed to weigh his decisions, even if just momentarily. Sophie was sweet, but slightly spontaneous. Joshua was quiet and levelheaded, seeming to think for ages about small responses.

"It's so pretty!" came a voice that broke him from his trance, startling him slightly.

He looked to his left, finding Sophie examining his sword with clear interest and awe. Link gripped the hilt and pulled the sword free of its woven leather sheath. The blade wasn't anything entirely flashy, but was still a decent blade. The blade wasn't extremely thick, but had enough metal to make the somewhat-short sword hefty. Near the hilt, the blade widened into both sides of the guard. The guard itself was slightly curved, and centered in it was a medium-sized stone.

Link often got comments on his sword, but the stone is what most often drew eyes. It was a deep blue towards the top of the sphere, then faded into a teal color, then a lime green. A flame-like design was overlaid on the colors, light grey in color.

Link had gotten many offers to buy the sword, and some to buy just the stone, but he never planned to let it go. He couldn't part with it, not for everything in the world. It was too important to him and held too much sentimental value.

Sophie delicately touched the gem-like stone, then the flat of the blade. She seemed hesitant, like the blade would jump up and slice her hand. Something burned behind her hazel-brown eyes; an almost childlike curiosity. Link had never seen someone inspect a weapon as such, as if they had never seen one before.

"You want to hold it?" Link said without thinking. He wasn't sure why he offered, but he suspected the look in her eyes drew him towards the decision.

Sophie looked at the weapon in Link's hand, then back to him. Once more, he saw that childlike curiosity, and couldn't help but smile. She hesitantly put and a forth, seeming unsure of what she was doing. She looked once more to Link, and he gave a reassuring nod. Looking back to the blade, she gave a confident smile and grasped the hilt of the weapon. She tightened her grip and Link moved his hand from under the sword.

Sophie gasped in surprise as the blade dropped. Link grasped the hilt once more, giving an apologetic smile. Sophie gave him a short, playful glare, then steadied her grip. Link once more moved his hand, and the sword stayed in place, albeit shaky. Sophie shot Link a big, cheerful smile. The childlike gleam had returned to her eye, and Link knew that the look could make him do anything. It just seemed so innocent, he couldn't help but think of it as anything other than adorable.

"Could you two be _any_ slower?" came a voice that caught both Link and Sophie's attention. The two had fallen quite far behind the others. Brent was glaring at them in a mischievous way, but dropped the look upon seeing both Link and Sophie's heated stares.

"Just hurry up," he mumbled.

Link and Sophie glanced at each other and laughed. Sophie handed Link his weapon, which he then sheathed, and Sophie ran forward, nearly skipping. Link chuckled quietly at her overall happiness and ran to catch up to the group.

Soon, the path entered a heavily wooded area. The tree line wrapped around them and moved out of sight, giving as almost claustrophobic feeling, as if being surrounded. It seemed no one else felt this way, or if they did they didn't show it; Brent was grinning triumphantly, as if he had just won a marathon; Joshua gave a slight smile, seemingly taking in the surroundings; and Sophie had a huge, cheery, dimpled grin on her face. All three walked into the forest, leaving Link to shake of his strange superstition and follow them in.

"Well, guys, welcome to Viridian Forest." came the voice of Brent, who seemed exceptionally excited.

The forest wasn't as tightly packed as Link had originally felt, in fact, trees seemed almost sparse compared to other woodlands. In fact, Link had traveled through thicker, darker forests. A great deal of light shone through the branches, leaving dots and lines on the ground. It had rained recently, and what had rolled through the canopy was now reflecting light in every direction for a wonderful effect.

Brent and Joshua both seemed unfazed, but Sophie was turning her head to-and-fro, taking in all the sights available as quick as possible. It was a rather funny scene to watch; she seemed to have an endless bout of energy. The happiness, in fact, was extremely contagious, as Link found himself grinning, laughing, and pointing out oddities in the forest.

Suddenly, a twig snapped, freezing Link in his tracks. No one else seemed to have heard it, but Link's keen hearing pulled even the softest of noises into a sharply audible sound. The twig snapped, then another, then heavy footsteps, then another twig. Whatever it was, it was large.

Link spun on his heel and swiftly slid the sword from its sheath, startling the others. Sophie let out a sharp gasp and worry filled her eyes. Brent seemed more irritated at the sudden halt than alarmed. Joshua seemed to be examining the situation, his hand slowly creeping toward the Poké Ball at his side.

The creature let out a soft snort, only heard by Link, then leapt from the bushes. A large Pokémon jumped from the bushes; a Tauros. Link had studied the Kanto Region and knew that Tauros weren't indigenous to this area. In fact, Tauros aren't necessarily native to the Kanto Region, and were often brought in from other regions and put in the local Safari Zone. Though, lately, many have escaped and begun breeding in the Kanto region.

The beast moved its head, its gaze swaying between the children before settling on Link. It ran towards him, drawing its head back and preparing a ram. Link, in a show of skill, nimbly sidestepped the attack and gave three precise swings. Though, the beast's durability showed, as it jumped back from the attack, its horns dented slightly. Link narrowed his eyes at the creature, preparing another attack. His sword began to glow lightly as he stared down his target.

Suddenly, three bursts of white light blocked Link's view of the beast. He took an involuntary step back, shielding his eyes from the intense light. As the glow dimmed, it reveal three young Pokémon; Squirtle, the water turtle Pokémon; Bulbasaur, the strange bulb Pokémon; and Charmander, the flaming lizard Pokémon. The three little Pokémon prepared themselves to face the large Pokémon, seeming more confident against one Tauros than a whole horde of them.

The little Charmander began flicking its tail, tossing small bits of flame over the bull Pokémon. The large Pokémon flinched, but otherwise showed no real change. The small blue turtle, Squirtle, began firing multiple, tiny bubbles at the creature. The bubbles flew quickly, leaving little welts were they struck, but this attack seemed to be causing minimal damage. Bulbasaur grew two vines from its bulb and began striking the creature. It left long, straight marks in the beasts fur, making the beast rear back slightly, as if pained.

The large bull once more surveyed its prey, eyes locking to Sophie. She stepped back, intimidated by the beasts scorching gaze. The Tauros stalked slightly lower, running its hooves through the dirt, preparing a charge. The little bulb Pokémon saw the beast's gaze and moved to stand protectively in front of its trainer. The Tauros charged, barreling for the brown haired girl and her Pokémon.

Link tightened the grip on his blade, his knuckles whitening. His sword began to give off a dull, golden light. He ran forth, breaking into a full sprint and leaping. He came down in a clean arch, the blade passing through the Pokémon like a hot knife through butter. The wound shone for just a moment before fading, leaving perfectly healthy-looking flesh.

The Tauros fell to the ground, twitching slightly before fully relaxing. Sophie gasped and ran to check on the Tauros, but shot Link a confused look when the found nothing wrong with the Pokémon. Brent, however, took full advantage of the Pokémon's weakened and tossed a Poké Ball at it. The Pokémon glowed red before being sucked into the tiny ball. It shook twice before clicking, the button glowing red. Brent laughed and picked the ball up from the ground.

Sophie slowly blinked away her surprise and glared at Brent, then turned to Link with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Link!" she said in her cheerful tone, seeing to have momentarily forgotten her previous inquiry. Link gave her a warm smile and nodded.

Link flipped his blade in his hand and sheathed it, cracking his knuckles as they pulled free of their vice-like grip. He nodded to the road in a silent request to keep moving. Joshua nodded, returning Squirtle to its Poké Ball. Brent, still cradling his new Pokémon, returned Charmander to its respective ball. Sophie, however, pick up Bulbasaur and cradled it close. The little Pokémon gave a silent cry and nuzzled its trainer.

She giggled lightly and began walking with her Pokémon in her arms. The little creature gave short cries and took in all of the sights around it in a very similar manner as Sophie had. It seemed to enjoy being out of its Poké Ball, but it seemed happier to be with its trainer.

Link took note of the Pokémon's behavior, or more, its change in behavior since moving away from immediate danger. The creature's eyes dulled slightly, and relaxed its bud, which had stiffened and puffed up slightly during the fight. Link assumed that the other two Pokémon would have a similar reaction if he could have observed them as well.

Sophie glanced up at him and smiled. Her Pokémon, following her gaze, gave a short cry and watched Link as he walked in the back of the group. It seemed to take a great interest in the boy, watching his every move.

Soon, the light stopped peeking through the canopies of the trees and the forest grew dark. Though Link could feel no imminent danger, he still suggested setting up camp for the night. The others agreed and began unpacking their various packs. Joshua pulled out a small blue tent with a Poké Ball design on the side and began setting it up, placing a padded mat within the tent. Brent pulled out an orange sleeping bag and tossed it on the ground, hastily removing the wrinkles from it before lying back on it. Sophie put her hands on her hips and looked around the quickly forming campsite, then looked back to Link with apologetic and pleading eyes. Link simply rolled his eyes and walked into the woods to collect firewood, something the others had seemed to have forgotten.

He walked through the thicket of trees, the light slowly dimming around him. He knew he would have to hurry or be forced to scrounge for usable sticks in the dark. He silently thanked himself for trying to get the group to unpack a little early.

He collected a few dead twigs from the ground and cut some from trees with his sword. He tucked the many sticks into his belt and turned to move back towards the campsite. As he began to walk, a short cry echoed throughout the forest. Link's hand immediately shot to the hilt of his sword, habit and instinct taking over his movements.

A nearby bush rustled, and another cry sounded, this one much louder than the last. It was obvious that this Pokémon was small, as to not have its footsteps heard by Link's acute perception if sounds. The Pokémon was also hurt, seeming to clumsily fumble over rocks, simply based on the small thuds coming from near the bush.

Then, another, shriller cry came from behind the hidden Pokémon. This one lower and more menacing, obviously a larger Pokémon. But, Link couldn't hear its footsteps, leading him to believe that it must be flying or hidden. It seemed more likely that it was a flying Pokémon, considering that most flying-type Pokémon returned to their nests near this time.

The bush rustled once more and something small and brown jumped out, running behind Link. The little creature cowered behind the larger being and let out a frightened whimper. A moment later, the shrill cry echoed throughout the forest again, causing the little creature's shaking to worsen. Obviously, this was what had been chasing the little Pokémon around.

Link's eye caught sight of the creature before it even got close. Gliding just below the canopy of the many trees was a very large bird. Due to the lack of light, Link had trouble recognizing it, but the beast resembled a "Fearow," which was the evolved form of Spearow.

The large Pokémon let out its shrill, squawking cry, and dove at Link, its eyes fixated on the creature behind his legs. As it came into range, its eyes caught a small glint of golden light, before being unable to focus on anything as said light passed through its vision. The Pokémon crashed into the ground and continued to lay there, unmoving.

The small Pokémon behind Link slowly began calming. Its shaking subsided and its whimpers quieted. It eventually moved between Link's legs, brushing lightly against him and walking towards the unmoving form of the Fearow. The light was now too dark for even Link's acute sight to perceive the little creature, and all he could see was a grey blob move toward the fallen Beak Pokémon. Then, the Spearow suddenly stirred, once again startling the little critter into the brush.

Link listened as grass and bush rustled, then the sound faded, signaling Link that the Pokémon had gone. Link nodded to himself and sheathed his sword, following what little moonlight there was back to the campsite.

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**A/N: Okay then, it's done. I really liked writing this chapter. I had fun experimenting with different scenes and emotions, but liked what I picked best out of my self-given choices. I'm also proud to say that this is one of my longest chapters yet, maxing out at around 3000 words. Still, that is generally short, and I hope to increase the length of these chapters in the near future. Anyway, I need to wrap this up, so I will record the official time of completion. May 13****th****, 2014, 12:59 AM.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm working hard, trying to put these chapters out for y'all. I really enjoy writing, and always like exploring options in order to enhance a story. So, if you guys have **_**any**_** ideas, then let me know. Anyway, I'm starting this chapter on May 13, 2014, 11:11 AM. Ready, let's go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda or Pokémon franchises, only my ideas. Link belongs to the Nintendo Company, while all Pokémon belong to the Game Freak and Nintendo Companies.**

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The rest of the night had gone on uneventfully, other than a small incident when Sophie had to threaten to beat Link with a stick for taking so long to bring back the firewood. An incident that would not be soon forgotten, and more than likely hung over Link's head for a while.

The group had just finished packing up their gear and were already on their way. Brent was trudging along, giving an occasional sleepy stumble, but they were becoming less and less frequent in the last few minutes. Joshua was lightly conversing with Sophie, giving a few moments in between his answers. Sophie was halfway slouched and was almost dragging her feet along the ground, a rare show of being completely exhausted. Even last night, when Link was just starting to become sluggish from tiredness, Sophie seemed like she could outrun a Ponyta.

Link continued to examine the surrounding area, taking in the local wildlife. He caught a few glimpses of Pidgey and Rattata, but saw Caterpie and Metapod more often. Link saw no more Fearow, nor did he see its pre-evolved form, Spearow, leading him to believe that the Pokémon he had fought last night had been following its prey for a while.

Soon, Link realized that they had been on the road for a while, judging by the light that was peeking through the forest canopy, they had been walking for almost three hours since their rising. The forest was definitely big, a little too big to just be considered the "Viridian Forest."

Link's musings were broken by a soft rustle of leaves, which at first he ignored, returning to his own thoughts. Soon, there was another rustle, then a soft thud. He couldn't hear the Pokémon's footsteps due to the constant chatter that was going on between the other three members of the group. Link didn't think that such a small Pokémon could pose much of a threat, but he had been proven wrong before.

He constantly checked the surrounding area, feeling much more paranoid than before, but not knowing why. Something in the back of his mind was causing unease, he could feel some sort of guilt for something forming in the pit of his stomach. He thought back on it, but couldn't for the life of him determine what was causing the discomfort.

"What'cha thinking about?" came a voice that broke him of his thoughts.

He looked to his left to see Sophie, who was now much more awake than before. He blinked slowly before smiling. He thought for a few moments, considering telling her that they were being followed, but decided against it as to not worry her.

"Nothing in specific."

Sophie looked at him for a few moments, her eyes scanning for any trace of a lie on his face, but Link knew that she would find none, he took pride in his ability to hide any "tells" of his emotions. He liked to have his own personal privacy, he didn't like being read. He often felt exposed when someone could pick out his emotions, he never was sure why though.

Sophie seemed to oppose that kind of privacy, as her eyes always flickered with emotion, and her face always changed based on what she was feeling. She would give bright smiles at times that most would just grin. She gave roaring laughs when others would just chuckle. These were just a few of the examples that Link could think of.

Of course, he hadn't noticed _just_ Sophie's personality, he had studied each of his current group members, but often found less than he hoped for. He knew Brent was hotheaded and brash, often taking challenges head-on without second thought. Brent also liked to take advantage of any situation, something Link had noticed when he captured the Tauros that Link had fought. But, Brent rarely spike more than a full sentence when addressing Link, so the green-clothed boy couldn't really get a grip on Brent's personality.

Joshua, Link felt, was an oddball. He was often incredibly quiet, only talking when addressing Sophie or when chastising Brent for doing something out of line or just generally stupid. The boy's yes, Link had noticed, were always slightly curious. Joshua was always studying things around him, and you could almost always see the gears in his head turning. The boy was calm and collected, only speaking after a moment of thought, and only acting after a small period of planning. Link felt that, although he didn't know him very well, Joshua would go far in life.

A punch to his arm broke Link of his thoughts once more. He turned to see Sophie playfully glaring at him.

"You haven't listened to a word I've said, have you?" she accused.

Link simply laughed, to which Sophie replied with another punch.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her upper lip twitching upwards for a moment.

Link smiled and closed his eyes, putting his hands behind his head. He gave the girl next to him a short glance before speaking, "You're trying so hard to look mad, it's funny."

Sophie gave him another punch, "Shut up," she said, to which Link just laughed. Eventually, Sophie dropped her scowl and began laughing along.

Link couldn't help but comment on the size of the forest as evening came upon them again. It wasn't every day that a woodland takes more than twenty-four hours to get through. They were already setting up camp, Joshua pulling out his blue tent, Brent his sleeping bag, Sophie pulling out a padded blanket, and Link a travel bed. They lit a fire using leftover wood from yesterday along with some that they had collected today and all laid down in their respective beddings.

Soon, stomachs predictably growled and the group pulled out some fruit they had picked from the few trees that harbored it, along with a few canned morsels that they had purchased in Viridian City. Link was chewing on a shiny, red apple; Brent was eating canned beans; Joshua was eating some sort of soup, light brown in color and slightly thick; and Sophie was chewing on a boxed lunch that she had bought in town. Eventually, each trainer released their Pokémon, allowing them to stretch and eat.

Bulbasaur had nuzzled into its trainers side while Sophie was flipping through the pages of a small book. Joshua and Brent had both returned their Pokémon back to their Poké Balls and retired for the night. Sophie was slowly stroking her Pokémon's head, extracting small, pleasured growls from it. Link smiled at the two's bond, they already seemed inseparable.

There was another soft rustle, then an even softer thud. It seemed familiar, and was slowly alarming Link less. But, Link still tensed when he heard it. The creature, whatever it was, had been following them all day, stopping when they stop. Link didn't plan to sleep tonight, at least, not until he knew what it was.

A soft snore sounded, signaling Link that Sophie had fallen asleep, her Bulbasaur joining her soon. Link stood and straightened his tunic. He grabbed his sword and strapped it to his back, tightening his baldric so the sword wouldn't move. The rustling had already stopped, but Link knew that the Pokémon was just waiting for the group to move again.

Hours past with no event, and Link was growing tired. But, he wouldn't rest until he knew that the group was safe. He had sat down, leaning against a tree, simply listening to soft snores and occasional rustles. Link was still wary, just less so than before. The rustles were now growing closer together, telling Link that the creature was growing restless.

Suddenly, Sophie's Bulbasaur stirred, yawned, and opened its eyes. It looked at Link then at Sophie. Link gave the creature a small smile and leaned his head against the tree. The Bulbasaur stood, untangling itself from Sophie's arms and stretching its legs. Sophie stirred slightly, but didn't awaken. Bulbasaur, however, took the soft stir as a sign that its trainer was awakening. It gave a slight cry and nudged Sophie's side. Sophie stirred again and then opened her eyes.

"What?" she muttered irritably.

Her Bulbasaur gave another soft cry, nudging her again. Sophie opened her eyes and rubbed them, clearing her vision.

"Oh," she trailed, yawning, "hi, Rose!"

Her Bulbasaur gave another cry and nuzzled her face. Sophie gave a lighthearted giggle and began petting her Pokémon. Her eyes flicked upward, catching sight of Link. She looked up and gave him a puzzled stare.

"What're you still doing up?" she asked.

Link just shrugged and leaned back. He really didn't feel like worrying her, it wasn't as if she needed any stress on her, surely she was already facing some, being away from home.

"Couldn't sleep," he said.

Sophie smiled and stood up, stretching. She walked over and sat down next to him, leaning against the tree. Link moved aside to give her more elbow room, feeling slightly awkward in his grogginess. Sophie gave him a bright smile and returned to lightly brushing Rose's head.

There was another rustle, and a bush moved on the opposite side of the clearing. Link silently scolded himself for being so careless as to let the creature get so far away from him. The bush then parted, causing Link to creep his hand toward the sword on his left. He had unstrapped it to lean comfortably against the tree, but now felt stupid for moving it so far away.

Suddenly, a brown figure emerged from the bush. It was small, probably a foot or two high, and made very little noise. It looked around until it spotted Link, then trotted over to him. Link had already moved his hand away from his sword, deciding that such a small creature couldn't do much harm. The creature then stumbled, but regained its footing, giving a slight cry. It moved around the fire, giving Link a good look at it.

The creature was a deep brown, with large eyes. Its ears were long, but not floppy. It had a large, bushy collar, lighter in color than its coat, along with a bushy tail that was tipped in the same color. Link recognized it as an Eevee, one of the most well-known Pokémon in the Kanto Region. But, they didn't ever really show up in the wild, being an extremely elusive Pokémon.

The Pokémon, Link noticed, was favoring a leg. Then, it dawned on him, this was the Pokémon that he had defended the other night. Its back right leg was hurt in some way, and the Pokémon refused to walk on it. It trotted unsteadily over to Link and lied down, giving a slight whimper.

Link reached his hand out slowly, giving the Pokémon a chance to move if it so desired. When it didn't, Link brought his hand down softly and began stroking the small Pokémon's head. The Pokémon gave another cry, this one slightly louder. Sophie groaned lightly and opened her eyes. She looked at her own Pokémon, who was asleep on her lap, then to Link. She followed his arm to the Pokémon below him and gave a short, quiet squeal of adoration.

The little Eevee started and crawled behind Link, peering over his legs at the now-awake Sophie. It whimpered slightly, its eyes filling with fear. Sophie gave the little creature an apologetic look, then looked to Link with a bright smile.

"I didn't know that you had a Pokémon!" she exclaimed, barely containing her excitement.

Link looked between Sophie and the slowly calming Pokémon at his side. He gave a small smile and looked back to the girl on his left, "I didn't."

Sophie gave him an odd look, "Really? So, that Eevee's wild?"

Link gave a slight nod, "But, not anymore."

Sophie smiled brightly again, looking at the little Pokémon that had crawled from behind Link's legs toward her. It gave her a fearful look, but soon calmed and flopped down between the two. The little Pokémon yawned and then laid still, its rhythmic breathing filling the silence. Link smiled at the little critter and leaned back, just listening to the two Pokémon, which was soon joined by Sophie's light snoring.

Link let his thoughts wonder. He had made two new friends in such a short time. That's more than he had at home. He had often been shunned by the people around him, until he left, then he was just avoided. It felt nice knowing that he had someone to talk to, even if only for just a time.

Link looked to the girl and foxlike Pokémon at his left and smiled. He always had strange things happen to him, but this time, they were for the better, and Link couldn't argue that.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this chapter is done. I know, it's shorter that the last chapter, but it's longer than the first two. I really want to push these chapter out, but I want them long. I'm trying guys, so I hope you like the story. This is GamerTacticsInc, signing out. Official Time of Completion: May 13****th****, 2014. 10:10 PM. Final Word Count: 2254.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello, hello! It's me! I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far, I have enjoyed writing it. I didn't like the last chapter's word count though … so I'll try to make up for it in this chapter. Anyway, I'm starting this chapter on May 14, 2014, 6:52 AM.**

**Disclaimer: As I've said before, I only own the idea and Original Characters.**

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That morning, it was a state of confusion. Brent and Joshua both questioned Link about the sudden appearance of the little Pokémon, to which Sophie gave no help in explanation, something Link wouldn't forget. Oh yes, he _would_ return the favor, ten-fold.

Once the confusion settled, the group begun moving again. Sophie had returned Rose, her Bulbasaur, to her Poké Ball, and Link carried the little Eevee. The little Pokémon's leg was swollen and the Eevee refused to put any weight on it, but no longer whimpered when it was touched. Link took that as a sign that the leg was healing, but may still need medical attention. The group had exhausted their supply of _Potion_, a brand of Pokémon Medicinal Spray. The tonic definitely lived up to its name, restoring Sophie's Rose, Brent's Charmander, and Joshua's Squirtle to a healthy condition.

The walk started again just before the sun was at the top of the sky, and Link expected that they had at least eight hours before it got dark again. Over the years, he had become quite good at reading the sun's position, a helpful skill when there's no clocks around. Brent, using the map that they had bought, estimated that it was still a three hour walk until they reached Pewter City. Everyone planned to do different things; Brent wanted to go to the Pokémon Gym, Joshua wanted to inspect the Pewter Museum of Science, and Sophie wanted to check the stores for Poké Puffs, a food that most Pokémon seemed to enjoy immensely.

Link wasn't very familiar with the cities of the Kanto Region, so he would probably just follow Sophie. Link was already getting used to the presence of the little Pokémon, which was curled in a ball in his arms, fast asleep. The little critter was probably tired, recovering from any injury was exhausting.

Eventually, trees were slowly becoming scarcer and scarcer. More light was peeking through the canopy, lighting the path completely. As Link walked into the sunlight, the little Eevee in his hands stirred and released a soft cry. It looked up from where it was nestled in Link's arms and yawned before nuzzling its head back into Link's arm, quickly falling back asleep.

Sophie eventually dropped back to talk to Link. It was just light conversation, along with a list of very colorful name suggestions for the Eevee. Link didn't often indulge himself with a normal person's chit-chat, but he felt fine making small talk with Sophie. It was odd, feeling completely at ease around one person. Link never felt comfortable with people that he had lived around his whole life, but Sophie seemed to be able to calm his nerves.

Finally, the last of the trees came into view, the tree line wrapping around into a small building. The group passed through said building, which turned out to be a visitor center of sorts, greeting people coming from Viridian Forest and giving small bouts of information on the city itself. Stacked on a small shelf, were small pamphlets that turned out to be maps of key locations around the city.

Link grabbed a map and handed it to Sophie; he wasn't planning on making any attempts to navigate the giant city. Sophie plucked the map from his outstretched hand and begun making her way through the slowly growing crowd. A nearby clock read 4:37, and the lunch-rush would be dying down soon, and with it the crowds would thin.

It wasn't exactly hard to navigate through a crowd, in fact, Link found it very easy, that is, with experience. Link had dealt with large crowds before and was rather familiar with them, even to the point of being able to fade into one. He could hide from anyone within a crowd, he could stand on their foot and they still wouldn't notice him.

Of course, he was just following Sophie around, but she seemed to be handling the crowd decently well. It seemed both of them were keen enough to move through mobs of people with little complication. But, there was one among them who didn't like crowds; the little Eevee that was being cradled in Link's arms. It had awoken and essentially shrunken. The little critter had nestled itself as far into Link's chest as it could, letting out small whimpers as they moved along the slowly thinning horde of people.

Link tightened his grip on the Eevee, which seemed to calm it slightly, but it still shook lightly. Link could relate, he remembered not liking to be around large amounts of people when he was young, and never hung around more than two friends. Not a hard task, considering he never had more than two friends.

Link found himself thinking back to home. Sure, he hadn't had the most friends, nor were they the best friends, and he had a small handful of enemies, but it was still home. He still had memories there, good and bad. He, in all honesty, had more bad memories than good, but it was still his home. He remembered a time that he had more than two friends, but that was a long time ago. He couldn't remember much about her, some, but not much. He remembered that she had a light voice, and that she was on the shorter side. She always wore blue, in fact, that's all she wore. Link couldn't think of a time that she didn't. What he remembered most of all, however, was how she always wanted to fly. She said she wanted to be a fairy when she was younger, and Link would always tease her by telling her that she had the height down. He thought hard, but he couldn't remember her name.

"Link," came Sophie's voice, snapping him out of hi trance. She had a look of concern on her face, worry shining through her eyes. Link shook his head and looked around, he had followed her to a small store. The air smelled incredibly sweet, like sugar, but held the distinct smell of chocolate. Lined up on shelves were boxes, and in those boxes were small, round objects. Each box held a different variation of the item. Some had sprinkles while others were frosted. They came in many different colors, ranging from pink to orange. In the center of the store, was a number of crates, all containing small objects.

"Where are we?" he asked.

Sophie grinned and held her hand out in an eccentric manner, "We are in the Poké Puff Bakery!"

Link looked around, the objects in the boxes must have been Poké Puffs. Link assumed that's why the little Eevee in his arms seemed so excited. Link looked at the little creature, which looked back with bright eyes, letting out a happy cry of "Eevee!" Link thought of setting the creature down, but in its excitement it may put weight on its injured leg, and Link didn't want it more hurt than it already was.

Sophie pulled her Poké Ball from her belt and released Rose. The Bulbasaur blinked before sniffing the air, then let out a long, excited cry. Sophie giggled at her Pokémon's actions before turning to the boxes on the wall. Most were labeled, the most common names being chocolate, fudge, and citrus. Some were lightly glazed, others heavily frosted. Rose and Link's Eevee both seemed to be in a dream state, staring wide-eyed at the many treats before them.

Link, however, noticed the stared that he was getting. Link only had to wonder a moment before he straightened his back and heard his sword rattle. Link didn't mind the stares, but felt stupid for forgetting to store away his sword. Then again, he hadn't gotten much of a chance. He probably should have found the Pokémon Center to rent a room before chasing after Sophie.

Link shrugged off the stares and returned to searching for something the little Eevee in his arms would like. It hadn't eaten much since he found it, only a ration biscuit that had hardened slightly, and while the little Pokémon hadn't seemed to mind the biscuit, it hadn't seemed necessarily happy over it. Based off that, all Link could ascertain was that the little critter didn't like anything stale. Not the most useful of information, all in all.

Link began to browse the bountiful selection of Poke Puffs, trying to find something that his Eevee would enjoy. Many people say that normal-type Pokémon like sour or sweet foods, which didn't really narrow down the choices. People say that all Pokémon can be typed by a "nature," that dictates certain personality traits, including food preference. This didn't really help, considering that Pokémon natures are normally determined by an expert, something Link was not.

Link strolled along the aisles of the store, letting his Eevee examine the treats as he walked. He began to notice a pattern in the little Pokémon's behavior around certain smells. When the Eevee smelled citrus Puffs, it moved its head away slightly, but when it smelled vanilla or chocolate Puffs, it remained somewhat still. Link took that as a sign that the Pokémon wouldn't enjoy citrus Poké Puffs. He began focusing on different types of chocolate and vanilla Puffs, which seemed to come in more varieties than necessary. There were plain, glazed, chocolate frosted, vanilla frosted, frosted with sprinkles, frosted with toppings, and candied.

Link tried to use his Pokémon's body language to determine what kind of Puff variety it would like best, but the Eevee reacted nearly the same to all of the treats. Link couldn't help but sigh at his luck. Rose was simply pointing out what Puffs that she wanted to Sophie using her vines, but Eevee could do no such thing. Link just hoped that it would like whatever he picked.

Finally, Sophie and Link walked to the counter with their collected Poké Puffs. Sophie had gotten Rose a variety of chocolate Poké Puffs with citrus frosting. Some had sprinkles, others had small pieces of chocolate in them, and some even had small pieces of fruit pushed into them. Link had gotten his Eevee an assortment of vanilla Poké Puffs. He avoided anything with citrus, mainly the lemon, lime, and orange frostings and toppings. His Eevee seemed happy enough, and he hoped that it would enjoy the taste of the Poké Puffs as much as it seemed to enjoy the smell of them.

The lady working the counter smiled brightly as the two trainers approached, "Hello, did y'all find everything okay?"

Sophie smiled brightly and nodded enthusiastically, placing her bags of Poké Puffs on the counter. The woman nodded and begun counting the Poké Puffs. She worked in silence for a moment, then started tapping away on the cash register. Finally, she looked to Sophie, smiled lightly and said, "Your total is 800."

Sophie grinned slightly and pulled out eight one-hundred Pokémon Dollars, often referred to as "Marks," and handing them to the woman. She smiled, took the money, and handed Sophie her bag of Poké Puffs. She then turned to Link, and upon spotting the Eevee cradled in his arms, gave a short "Aww.". The Eevee, not enjoying the attention, attempted to burrow into its trainer's chest.

"She's so cute!" the woman cooed.

Link looked at the little bundle of brown fur in his hands, then back to the woman, "Her," he started "how can you tell?"

She pointed to the Eevee's tail, "Female Eevee tend to have fuller, bushy tails."

Link looked at his Eevee and gave a bright smile, "Where'd you learn that?" came Sophie's question.

The woman gave another smile, "I'm studying to become a Pokémon Breeder."

Sophie smiled brightly, the child-like look of interest and curiosity returning to her eyes. She spoke to the woman of breeding Pokémon, and what kind of work it was. The woman told her of the many different "Egg Groups" that were used to help factor Pokémon together. Two Pokémon had to be of the same egg group in order to breed properly. Egg group was also used to determine what skills a Pokémon would inherit from its parents, which was usually something that trainers requested when asking a person to breed their Pokémon.

The woman smiled brightly after the crash-course, "It's all pretty interesting. The former gym leader here is who got me started on my studies, but he's been gone for a while."

Sophie and Link looked at her in confusion, silently asking her to continue.

"He left some time back, with a Pokémon trainer; left his brother in charge of the gym."

Link was intrigued, why would someone just walk out on such an important task? Link may not have known much about training, but he had red about the gyms of each region, and knew that the position of Gym Leader was important. A Gym Leader tested the skills of a trainer who entered, determining if their skilled enough to receive that gym's badge. For someone to walk away after being given such a high honor was unheard of.

"But, I heard he and the trainer he left with are coming back! The former gym leader calls his family every time that he and the trainer reach a Pokémon Center. Last I heard, they were in Cerulean City, and that was a couple days ago! They should be here soon!" The woman couldn't seem to contain her excitement. It was truly a funny sight to see, a grown woman's eyes alight with excitement, explaining something with many animated hand and arm motions. It reminded Link of the look that Sophie got when something piqued her interest.

Link and Sophie thanked the woman for the lesson on Pokémon Breeding and for the Poké Puffs, and went on their way. As they left, Sophie gave Link a mischievous smile and handed him the bag that she had been hanging on her arm. Link gave a playful roll of his eyes and took the bag. The little Eevee in his hands gave him an odd look as he shifted her, but then settled back down.

Link now had no idea where Sophie was dragging him, but it wasn't like he would have any idea where he was going if he took off. The day was winding down, the vivid blue of the day sky was dulling down to a bright orange. They would all have to make it to the Pokémon Center before ten o'clock, else they may not let them in. Pokémon Centers were definitely a blessing, but some of their rules were a little odd. Centers provided food and board for all Pokémon and trainers that came through, using volunteers for nurses and cooks. Only the doctors in Pokémon Centers were paid, but they weren't ever around. Most only called a Pokémon Doctor for very serious injuries, and the rest was handled by the nurses.

Sophie pulled Link into a somewhat larger building, filled with bright, cheery music and the smell of plastic. Link looked around, seeing a large counter in front of a large man. Said man was chewing on some sort of fried food, fish, based solely off of the smell. As the door closed, he looked up and tossed the greasy food into a small cardboard box and brushed crumbs off of his stain-riddled shirt.

"Welcome to Pokémon Snatch, the Pokémon capture simulator. How many are playing?"

Link looked at Sophie, who just smiled in return. For some reason, she had brought him to a game building. There were many in Kanto, no as many as in Sinnoh, but there were some.

Sophie held two fingers up; apparently Link would be taking part in this as well. The man pointed to the sign, which said "100 Marks per play." Sophie looked to Link with her bright smile, but Link knew she was cooking something up in that sinister mind of hers.

"Link," she said in a singsong voice. "Won't you pay for a sweet girl?"

Link smirked, "Do you know one?"

Sophie scowled and playfully punched his arm, leaving Link to laugh. He reached into one of his bags that hung from his belt, pulling out two 100 Mark bills. The man took them and placed them in a metal box. He put six balls on the table, half red, half white. They vaguely resembled Poké Balls, which was giving them a little extra credit.

The man flipped a switch and the music that had been paying stopped, being replaced by a lower pitched, higher tempo song. Some Pokémon, and a few humanoid, cutouts that Link assumed were flimsy plastic began moving around.

The man, seeming generally bored with what was going on, spoke, "Knock over the Pokémon. Don't hit the trainers. Begin."

Sophie flung the first of the surprisingly heavy balls, striking a Pikachu cutout, but not knocking it over. She through another, hitting, but yet again, not knocking over a Jigglypuff cutout. Finally, she pulled her arm back and threw the ball as hard as she could. It hit a trainer, knocking it over with a loud thud. Sophie frowned and turned to Link. He rolled his eyes at her and laughed, to which she gave him another punch.

"Wow," Link said. "You're abusive."

Sophie stuck out her tongue and pointed to the game. Link shifted his Eevee in his hand, picked up one of the balls, weighed it in his hand, and then gave it a hard throw. It made a beeline for a Squirtle cutout, hitting it and knocking it over. The game owner's eyes widened for a moment before calming, something Link had expected. Link picked up another ball and gave it another hard toss, this one hitting a Geodude target and knocking it back. Link threw his third and final ball at an Onix cutout, knocking it over.

The man stuttered for a second before shakily saying "Winner!" and gesturing to a wide variety of Pokémon Dolls, which were plush, stuffed toys that looked like Pokémon. Link looked out of the corner of his eye to see Sophie eyeing a Ponyta Doll. Link pointed to it and the large man got it down. Link smiled and handed it to Sophie, who smiled and took it gratefully.

"We're closing, you'll have to leave soon," came the irritated voice of the game owner.

Link and Sophie quickly shuffled out of the building and into the night. The orange sky was now dark and street lights were on. The moon wasn't fully out, leading Link to believe that it wasn't past ten, but his sleeping Eevee told him that it was still late. Sophie pulled out the map that she had folded up and put in her back pocket, unfolded it, and gestured for Link to follow her. They made quick time, getting to the Pokémon Center in a matter of minutes.

Joshua got up as soon as they came inside, walking into the Trainer Room, which trainers could use free of charge to sleep for the night. Brent, in a show of maturity, puckered his lips at the two, making "Kissy Faces" and followed behind Joshua. Link and Sophie walked into the Trainer Room, each picking a cot and lying down. Link laid Eevee down at the foot of his cot, where she shifted slightly and then settled down. Link removed his sword from his back and leaned it against his mattress, then removed his hat and placed it under his pillow before leaning back.

"What're you going to name her?" came a soft voice. Link looked to his right, seeing Sophie on her side, facing him. Link then looked to the Eevee at his feet. The thought of his old friend returning to his mind. He felt the need to honor her somehow, to thank her for being his friend.

"Navi," Link said. Sophie gave him a confused look.

Link, more clearly this time, said, "I'll name her Navi."

Sophie thought on this for a moment, before saying, "I like it. It's a pretty name."

Link nodded to himself, "Yeah," he said.

Link looked at the sleeping Eevee at his feet, "It is."

* * *

_**A/N: Hello, all. How are you all doing? I'm writing this out after posting the chapter, half asleep, with no editing. I'll be revision the chapter, so don't worry about it. Anyway, I'll talk to you guys during the next chapter.**_

_**Final Word Count: 3,414**_


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